Newhaven businessman Marek Lorys is celebrating ten years of a discovery that changed his business life.

Mr Lorys, of Hillcrest Road, was visiting a gem exhibition in Leicester in 1993 when he noticed a box of rock crystals from Thailand.

At that time he was running a business importing precious stones such as diamonds and rubies.

The stallholder claimed the crystals were a natural deodorant for body and feet and had been used by Thai people for hundreds of years.

Mr Lorys said: "I was very sceptical but interested because I had never liked anti-perspirants, which were sticky and blocked your pores.

"Every now and then one or other of my friends would say it wouldn't be a bad thing for me to use something and the lump of crystal was only £8 so I bought it. I tried it and found it really worked."

He decided to make a business, Crystal Spring, out of marketing and selling the crystals. He found a manufacturer in Thailand and started importing the products. The crystals do not have a best before date and last as deodorants for several months.

Mr Lorys said: "The main thing was getting the presentation right.

"The traditional form was lovely but not acceptable to most consumers who wanted their deodorant to look like deodorant. So what we've got now is a stick of rock in a plastic container."

Crystal Spring products are available at shops such Holland & Barrett, independent health food shops and pharmacies.

Sales have continued to rise as people have become more interested in natural products and the company now sells tens of thousands of deodorants.

Mr Lorys said: "Over the past year sales have grown by 65 per cent. We've built the business very much by word of mouth, which seems to have worked."

Thursday July 17, 2003